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The Italian version of an omelet, in which the whisked eggs and the other ingredients go into a large pan at the same time, a frittata can be eaten warm or cold. Almost any kind of vegetable works well in a frittata. We love the sweetness and flavor of leeks and roasted onions. The original sandwich at ’wichcraft contained only the frittata and good, aged Cheddar cheese. Ben Bohen, a long-time collaborator, would have this sandwich as his regular breakfast—except that Ben would always add roasted tomato. He encouraged the staff to try it, and he encouraged the customers to try it, until eventually he converted us all and we put it on the menu forevermore with Ben’s roasted tomatoes.

Most of us have had the classic egg-and-bacon sandwich. When conceiving of our own, we were inspired by the French salad of frisée au lardons, in which the bacon lardons are rendered and warmed up, gorgonzola is used for the dressing, and the frisée is tossed into the mix, becoming warm and wilted. Here, we have essentially married the salad and the classic sandwich, and the resulting ’wich illustrates that, by just doing a little more, you can take a standard sandwich to a higher realm. If you are preparing this recipe for a large number of people, you can fry the eggs and set them aside on parchment paper on a tray, popping them in the oven to heat them just a bit when you’re ready to assemble the sandwiches. This sandwich would be great made with poached eggs, as well.

Farro is a type of wheat that was an important component of the Roman Empire’s diet, but it fell somewhat out of favor when more refined wheat products became plentiful in Italy. You’ll still find it on a lot of Italian tables, though, and especially in soups and salads such as this one. Farro is available in Italian markets and gourmet grocery stores, but brown rice or barley could also be used in this recipe.

Eggplant Parmesan is one of the classic red-checkered-tablecloth Italian-American recipes, but I prefer this slightly easier and lighter recipe, with a very similar concept—combining eggplant with cheese and marinara sauce. This makes an elegant, satisfying side dish as well as a great entrée for a vegetarian meal (make sure your vegetarians eat dairy, though—there’s lots of it here). You could also make this dish with zucchini.

I often serve these tomatoes at room temperature, and believe me, it’s a real relief to be able to serve a dish to which you have to do absolutely nothing while your guests are in your home, other than put it on a plate. That’s truly Everyday Italian cooking.

Osso buco is braised veal shanks. The fabulously flavorful veal shanks are cooked for a long time, making the meat so tender that it literally falls off the bones. I’m not sure why, but I think people are afraid of this dish; maybe they’re intimidated by the unfamiliarity of veal shanks. But it’s really easy to prepare and just needs a couple of hours to cook, while the fragrant aromas fill your house and maybe even tempt the neighbors to ring the doorbell to find out what’s cooking. The perfect dish for a rainy Sunday. Be sure to have kitchen twine available for tying the shanks.

The beauty of a dish like this is that you get just enough meat to feel satisfied that you’ve had a substantial meal, but you’ve actually consumed a much greater proportion of healthy greens than of red meat. Plus, it can serve four people on the budget of one steak.

This sandwich can be made with any meat prepared in the Milanese style (see recipe on page 158)—veal, chicken, or pork. You can use whatever ingredients you want, but the combination below tastes great.

I serve most risottos as a side dish, but this is an entrée-style risotto. With a fresh green salad and a glass of crisp Pinot Grigio, this is one of my favorite light suppers—and it’s based on leftovers!

Fra Diavolo means “Brother Devil.” In Italy, this refers to a dish that’s sprinkled heavily with black pepper and grilled. But in America the term is associated with spicy hot-pepper sauces, like the lobster Fra Diavolo that became popular in the 1930s and has been a fixture on Italian-American menus ever since. (It is actually unknown in Italy, where they don’t have the same type of lobsters we do.) I make my version of Fra Diavolo with shrimp because it’s lighter and easier for everyday cooking.

The clam and mussel soups that are specialties of Naples and the nearby coastlines inspired this recipe. I’ve added shrimp for more meatiness and dried crushed red pepper flakes simply because I like it spicy, but they’re optional. Whatever you do, be sure to serve this with plenty of crusty bread; the broth is phenomenal to sop up.

Cacciatore means cooked in the “hunter’s style” (which, translated into French, is chasseur and in fact refers to a very similar dish). In many Italian-American restaurants this can be a greasy, overly sweet sauce with dry, overcooked chicken. But this recipe will make you fall in love with Chicken Cacciatore again; it’s really the ultimate in hearty, rustic Italian home cooking.

Italian stews are called spezzatini because the meat is cut into pieces; spezzare means “to cut up” or “break up.” This is the prototypical one-pot meal: Throw all the ingredients into a pot, and you have a great dinner.

I freely admit that the tonnato preparation is an idea that takes some getting used to: It means that a meat, usually veal, is topped with tuna sauce—and it’s usually served cold. But before you say “Ugh” and turn the page, please give it a try. It’s really a wonderful combination of flavors. Instead of veal, I prefer the lighter taste of turkey paired with the relatively strong sauce, and I like this dish warm, not cold.

If you’re bored with the same old roast chicken, try this one. The bird absorbs all the sweet and savory flavors of the marinade, and that’s what keeps the meat incredibly moist. And it’s still moist the next day—perfect for sandwiches and salads. This is a really easy recipe to double (as long as you have a big enough roasting pan). So I usually do, and enjoy my leftovers all week.

Roasting fish is easy and helps keep it moist, tender, and flaky. On Italy’s many coasts, it’s popular to cook fish whole—including tail and head, which is considered a delicacy for many types of fish. I can live without the heads, but I do like to stuff the fish for an added burst of flavor and aroma.

These breaded cutlets are usually made with veal, but I’ve found that it’s an excellent treatment for pork chops. As kids, my siblings and I loved this dish—what kids don’t love fried meat? And it makes for a tasty sandwich the next day (see page 184).

The word braciola is used in different regions of Italy to describe different cuts of meat. But in southern Italy, braciola refers to a dish where a slice of meat is topped with different ingredients and rolled up and baked. It’s moist, rich, and very flavorful, and it’s actually easy to make, although not quick: In order to make this cut of meat moist and tasty, it needs a good amount of oven time. I like to serve it at holiday dinner parties or for Sunday supper. You will need kitchen twine to tie the rolled flank steak.

This dish is perfect for entertaining a large group because it serves a crowd and looks spectacular, and the rich, velvety fig sauce will knock your guests’ socks off; it’s so sweet you could even serve it over ice cream. Many European cultures have traditional recipes that pair pork with sweet fruit, usually apples. But apples aren’t so prevalent in Italy, and figs are. Lucky for Italians.

Cooking fish al cartoccio—literally, “in a bag”—is a technique that’s been used by Italians (and other cultures) for a long time. It’s actually a method of steaming rather than baking; the tight wrapping seals in all the juices and aromas so you end up with a mouthwatering combination of flavors. Traditionally, the fish is wrapped in parchment paper, but I like to use aluminum foil because it’s easier to close tightly. (It’s not as pretty or traditional as parchment paper, but aluminum foil is one modern convenience that I’m just not willing to forgo for the sake of prettiness or tradition.) You can cook almost any fish you want in foil or parchment, and indeed in Italy it’s usually used for swordfish and sea bass, not salmon, which doesn’t swim in the Mediterranean; but I love salmon’s creaminess and year-round availability, so I’ve taken my liberties with the al cartoccio tradition. This method also produces superb vegetables and chicken. And a bonus: It’s mess-free.